Magical Collision

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  While the first symbol woke up the ward, the second one woke me up. My body hummed with excitement, my power swirling upward, ready to be released. The pressure from my powers was intense, and I would have gotten lost in it if Atasha hadn’t wrapped my hand with hers and given it a squeeze.

  Then when she knew she had my attention, she smiled. “Two more, Laila. You can do this.”

  My nod was jerky, and she tugged me to the next spot.

  The third symbol wasn’t about me or the ward, but about the ground. There was a rumble of acknowledgment and my feet tingled, almost like stepping on a bunch of sharp needles.

  “Last one and they will close. I am right by your side.”

  We went to the west side, and I drew the symbol one final time. Everything snapped into place, and I gasped.

  “It is okay, Laila,” Atasha said.

  I tried to draw in air and my lungs refused to work properly.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Alijah asked.

  “She just needs to close the circle. There is a lot of power going around right now. As soon as she closes the circle, it will be over.”

  Walking was hard; with Atasha’s warm hand on my lower back, she led me back to the north spot to close.”

  “Remember what I said,” Atasha said as we got to the spot.

  I gritted my teeth, wanting this over, needing the pressure to release.

  “Since you do not know our language yet, you will do this in English. It is still effective. Please repeat this: Protection to me, protection from you, be my barrier forevermore.”

  With my hand on the first symbol I’d created, I repeated after her. As soon as I said the last word, my lungs froze and it felt like all the power inside of me was yanked out.

  “Do not fight it, amaorah. Let it take what it needs.”

  I grunted as my legs caved. Hands caught me, and I squeezed my eyes shut as it felt like the ward scooped inside of me and took everything I had to give plus some. I burned and only biting my lip kept me from screaming.

  By the time it was over, I could barely move. I felt completely drained.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Alijah asked over someone growling.

  “Yes, she just needs to rest. Seems the ward has determined that it needed a lot of power. She made a very strong one. Almost as good as the ones we use. With practice, I am sure she can create wards better than the ones we utilize.”

  “Let’s move her to her bed,” Elliot said. I wanted to nod. It sounded like a great idea. But nothing about me wanted to move. I hurt and my head was pounding.

  Someone picked me up, and I had to do everything I could to not whimper like a baby.

  “Hurry, she’s hurting,” Venni said.

  “Moving as fast as I can,” Alijah snapped.

  I passed out at some point because when I woke up, I was in my room, on my massive bed, with Alijah, Venni, and Elliot hovering over me.

  “And she wakes,” Elliot said as he leaned down. His lips pressed against my forehead, and he pulled away. “You worried us.”

  “I worried me,” I said. “Did it work?”

  “Atasha said it’s an amazing ward for a first-timer. She’s impressed,” Venni said.

  Alijah said, “She’s proud of you. And more excited now about training you.”

  “If creating that ward is any hint at what training is going to be like, I’m not so sure what will be worse: our training or hers.”

  The guys chuckled.

  “Are you feeling well enough to get out of bed?”

  “Not quite yet. I think my limbs are holding a protest. How long was I out?”

  Alijah rubbed at his jaw. “About an hour.”

  I sighed and leaned back against the plush pillows, watching the three of them. Venni stood slightly back.

  “While I relearn how to move, how about you guys tell me what is going on?”

  “What do you mean?” Alijah asked.

  “I’m not stupid, and I feel a little offended that you’d think I’d be too blinded and distracted to notice. Venni is standoffish and extra growly. Alijah, you are too.”

  Elliot blinked a couple of times before glancing at the two of them with renewed interest. “I thought you were a little more… quiet. I mean, you guys are normally quiet, but it’s been worse today. What is going on?”

  They tried to glance at each other, but I snapped my fingers. “No. Look at me. Don’t do your silent speaking thing. Say what’s on your mind out loud. Venni, what’s going on?”

  His jaw tightened briefly before he blew out a breath and met my eyes. “First off, we are more growly because of Rowan. He’s a male in your house, and he’s going to be staying here for a while. We didn’t scent any other female but what he picked up from being Atasha’s guard. That means he’s unmated. That has put us on edge as shifters.”

  I snorted. “So you want to piss all over and claim your territory.”

  “We are fine with each other. We’ve worked together for a while, we know how it works, but he’s a complete stranger. We don’t know him. And we hate that he’s so close to you.”

  “So shifter craziness.”

  “Yes,” Venni said.

  My gaze flickered between the two of them. “Is that it?”

  They both nodded. I focused on Venni. He just blinked back at me. I sighed. If there was something else, I couldn’t force them to tell me. But I could reassure them.

  “Rowan is in love with Atasha. Any fool who watches them long enough can see that. He only has eyes for her. Just like I have eyes for only you guys. There are seven of you, and I want every single one of you. Trust me, my eyes are not straying to anyone else, unless they’re one of the others. When I think about the people I want in my life, it is you guys. When I wake in the morning and go to bed at night, I think only of you guys. I get that your shifter sides are territorial, and I know it won’t magically just stop, but what I want you to realize is that while you fight with yourself, I am not an issue. You guys are mine, you just don’t know it yet.”

  I snapped my mouth shut before I kept rambling on. My hands curled into my blanket as the three of them just gaped at me.

  “Damn, Laila.” Elliot groaned. “I never thought I’d hear you say something like that.” He nudged Alijah with his elbow. “They’ll get over themselves.”

  “Yes, we just need patience. That was logic, but our animals aren’t always logical, especially when it comes down to you,” Alijah said.

  “Okay. As long as you know where I stand. Now help me up. I want to check in on my guests.”

  “They should be in your dining room, poking around,” Elliot said.

  “Of course they are. As long as they aren’t moving my things.”

  Venni gave me a tight smile. “I think Atasha knows better than to touch.”

  They helped me downstairs where I could see Atasha staring at my container of aeflower, a plant that ate magic, literally. They were rare and cost more than most people could afford for just one plant. My supplier was deep in the wild, and I earned the flowers at an okay discount by visiting his garden and filling them with my magic. He was definitely getting the better deal.

  “We need to get going.” Alijah said. “Rhett said he emailed everyone’s schedule to you. We look forward to our dates.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine briefly before going out the door.

  Elliot pulled me into a hug. “You’ll be fine. Don’t let your fears get in the way of getting to know your aunt.” He leaned down and kissed my temple before following after Alijah.

  Venni moved in, and I stepped back. He froze.

  “Stay with me,” I said. “No goodbyes because I want you to spend the night.” Not fidgeting was nearly impossible, but I was barely able to hold off on doing it. “Please. Something is bothering you, and while what you said about Rowan may be true, I know there’s something else too. I won’t ask, but just stay with me tonight. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”

  His expr
ession melted into something tender. “Okay. Let me go grab my bag and let the guys know.”

  I raised an eyebrow. He shook his head. “I was planning to do an overnight at Biomystic. I just needed to not be home right now.”

  His face told me he expected me to ask for more details, but I could tell he didn’t want to tell me. Not yet at least. That was okay, we had all night.

  “Okay.”

  He leaned down and kissed me gently before slipping out the door.

  It was going to be a long day and I had some sleuthing to do to get some answers out of Venni. Something was bothering him deeply and my nosy self couldn’t just ignore that.

  Chapter Seven

  Venni never cracked. So while he snored deeply next to me, his arms wrapped tightly around me like he was afraid I’d disappear on him, I glared at him. Too bad I couldn’t make my displeasure show in his dreams.

  I smirked at that. That would be a fun project, a way to transmit my emotions or thoughts into someone’s dreams. I could threaten giving someone nightmares and be able to pull it off.

  Venni rolled and pulled me closer. I breathed deeply, enjoying his scent. Too bad I had to go to the bathroom, otherwise, I’d enjoy this. I was still frustrated that I didn’t know what was bothering him. I couldn’t get him to break last night and I worried that if I pushed too far, he’d have left and that would have burned.

  “Venni,” I whispered.

  He moaned and buried his face into my neck, his breath hot against my skin. His knee came up and pressed against me. I wanted to moan and create some friction, but I stilled instead, not really looking to take advantage of him while he was out like this.

  Slipping out of bed was tricky and involved getting him to cuddle a pillow instead of me, but I managed and snuck into the en-suite bathroom. Not wanting to go back to sleep, I decided to work more on my garden before going in to work. A sound caught my attention on my way down to the first floor. Someone was moving around downstairs.

  Briefly, my heart pitter-pattered until I realized that I wasn’t alone in the house. Atasha and Rowan were here too. I glanced at the clock on my phone. It wasn’t even five in the morning.

  An early morning riser.

  My nose curled up in displeasure. I hated mornings, there wasn’t anything pleasant about it. To me, all the ugly was easy to see in the morning, no longer veiled by the darkness that kept the horrors hidden.

  I followed the noise through the kitchen and out into the backyard. Atasha was on her knees, using a shovel to break into the earth. Rowan stood by the door, watching her work. Our eyes met briefly before he nodded and went back to staring at her.

  “What are you doing?” I asked as I approached.

  She turned her head. “Helping to plant winter flowers for you.”

  I blinked in surprise and she continued to try to dig into the frozen ground. Briefly noting that the air around her was warm, I kneeled. “You don’t have to.”

  She smiled. “I know, but I wish to. The earlier in winter you plant them, the better. It will give them more time to grow before the land thaws from spring.” She didn’t stop and kept working.

  “I’m surprised you’re doing this the old fashioned way.”

  She didn’t reply right away, instead reaching over and grabbing another little shovel. After passing it my way, she returned to her task. I took her lead and did the same, stabbing at the ground. We worked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up.

  “It is therapeutic, and I always feel closer to Nature when I get my hands dirty like this. For some, they prefer doing it the lazy way. It disconnects them and I think that is why they struggle connecting to their gardens like they should. A garden needs nurture and it does not get that through thoughtless use of power. It takes time and patience, just like when raising a child.”

  I smiled at her as she talked. Atasha’s face lit up as she passionately went on about gardens, plants, and why it was a good idea to do it the old fashion way. I was in agreement with her. It always felt more rewarding when plants blossomed, knowing that it did because of my own hands.

  “You have five men?” Atasha asked after working in silence for a while.

  It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. I fought a smile and said, “Seven.”

  “Oh. That is a whole tribe of men.”

  I nodded. “Definitely feels like it. And they all like to think they’re always right.”

  She laughed. “That’s men.” Her laugh cut off abruptly, and I glanced at her. The smile was completely gone from her expression.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “We do not have that in our society, the freedom to love more than one person. I think that is a very sad thing. We do not have divorce either. The person you bond with is the person you are with for life. Sometimes, that is a beautiful thing, when it is real love and affection. When it is of the two people’s making. But that rarely happens in Highborn society. Marrying for love is a luxury we do not get.”

  “The arranged marriages,” I said in a low voice.

  She nodded. “We are expected to make beautiful babies who are at least as strong as we are. Your father was someone they were hopeful about until he mated with your mother.” She glanced at me, flashing a wry grin. “And yet, here you are, a strong person of our line. There is irony in that. I think if you wanted to, you would be able to claim a spot on the Highborn council.”

  There was no holding back the snorting sound I made. “It’s a good thing I want nothing to do with them then.”

  “Yes, for everyone’s sake, I think you are correct.”

  “Atasha?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why do you stay there? You can leave, so why? It doesn’t sound like a place that you enjoy.”

  She sighed and focused on patting a bulb into the ground, making sure to cover it loosely. She finally spoke again when she was happy with her work. “I have things I wish to achieve there. That place is my home and I cannot abandon it. It is not who I am.”

  “What are you trying to change?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

  “Right now, the big push is to allow our younger ones the right to attend school outside of the community.”

  “It’s not to do away with the arranged marriages?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “That one is a long game. The current one I am hoping to pass in less than a year.”

  “What will change allowing your people to leave their borders for education?”

  “We have a great educational program that fits our needs, but we are a closed system. That means we are isolated from new information. Civilization has vastly changed compared to hundreds of years ago. You are a perfect example. I can confidently say that your skill set is superior to many of those in our community. The only thing you lack that they have is your age, but even then, I would say your experience is still amazing. We risk ignoring information that could help us by not allowing our young to go out into the world and explore. We hold onto our people too hard.”

  I placed a bulb into the ground and slowly covered it, trying to think through what she wanted to do. “If you allow them to leave home, they may never come back. Or there may be an increase in mixed children.” I glanced at Atasha through the side of my eyes, wanting to see her reaction as I said, “When I was in the caves, I found a room full of skeletons. There had been children there. The wall had the story of a pregnant woman carved into it.”

  Atasha’s expression went grim, anger slipping in.

  “Before we used those tunnels to keep the ancient weapon hidden and protected, a councilman gained the support of enough people to create that as a game, so to speak, a punishment for some of our broken laws. It was sick and twisted. For a long time, some of us have been fighting to end it, but it took the Chaos War to do it.”

  “The child?”

  “A half breed, yes, but not just any half breed. There are beings we should never procreate with. While we cele
brate our strong, revere them, we fear the ones who are too strong. And unfortunately, that meant taking that fear out on children. By the time some of us knew what was going on, it was too late, the child was put in there and we could not extricate them. A spell had been woven into those caves so anyone found guilty of a crime could not find their way out and anyone going in to help them would not be able to get out either.”

  “I’m sorry to say this, but the elementalists are monstrous.”

  “I agree. We can be. It has not always been this way. Being an elementalist was seen as an honor, a gift, but like all powerful beings, that power went to our heads, made us seem stronger than we really are. It has become a long battle to remind those who follow those new beliefs that we are only pawns in the grand scheme of things. We have no right to play at being a god.”

  This time, when Atasha finished talking, I didn’t ask any more questions. I kept thinking about what she said and I thought about my own fears. I knew I was strong, too strong, and as Ami once pointed out to me, I was overpowered. Half the struggle was reminding myself why it was a good idea to not end people with a simple thought just because I knew I could.

  Some days were hard, but most days had become easier lately. The guys made it easier.

  A flutter of wings caught my attention and I looked up to see a small pixie flying toward us. Her curiosity had her inching closer and closer. I smiled and sent out a small simple nudge of power to let her know she was welcomed and that seemed to do the trick.

  Moving closer, she landing on my shoulder. She looked up at me with the cutest tiny smile. The wings resting against her back shimmered as she looked down at what I was doing with innocent curiosity.

  Atasha’s grin widened when she noticed we had a new guest with us. “Will you bless Laila’s garden?”

  The pixie loved that idea. Before I could say anything, she was zooming around at a fast speed. Magic built up in the air, weaving into an intricate spell. Then there was a push outward, my skin tingled as the blanket of magic fell over the area. The ground felt pleased with it and I drew in a sharp, surprised breath as I felt the bulbs that were planted take root.